Are you just curious about nudism / naturism? A new naturist? Been one a long time? You can tell us how & why you got started. Just a sentence or a paragraph is enough. You're not ready for naturism yet? That's OK, you can even say so here. New Comers please post here. ALL NUDIST COMMENTS WELCOME HERE!

In our country we understand this two words so that naturist is one who loves the nature and like to be nude because he wants to be without the dress cause the dress is not a part of the nature. The nudist is one who just enjoy to be nude, likes a nudity without any philosophy. Who am I? Sometimes I feel myself as a naturist when my interest combines with love to nature. But sometimes I just enjoy to be nude at home. Maybe I have a small sexual interest to be bare and to see the bare people in the screen. But I don't want to have sex with someone or with myself. So sometimes I'm a naturist and sometimes I'm a nudist

I would have to disagree with the definitions this way. I call myself nudist now, though when young starting off, once ready to use a word for myself for preferring to be nude in some activities, I called myself naturist. It directly refers to the nudity in my way of living, that any would understand. It does not mean I have no philosophy with it, I most certainly do. And I don't think anyone here is more for natural living in nature, or living more naturally, than I am.

Technically, a naturist does not have to be nude, nor does a nudist need to be in nature. I for one like to be in nature even if necessarily clothed, like to be nude even if necessarily far from nature. But it often happens that a word's usage is broader or narrower than what it ought to mean.

The truth, the stark naked truth, the truth without so much as a loincloth on, should surely be the investigator's sole aim - Basil Chamberlain

Personally, I think these two terms mean basically the same think. Nudist/naturist is a person who enjoys being nude. Sometimes that enjoyment takes place in nature, sometimes in the privacy of one’s home, and some times with others. I think naturist is just an updated term for nudist.

Petros wrote:Technically, a naturist does not have to be nude, nor does a nudist need to be in nature. I for one like to be in nature even if necessarily clothed, like to be nude even if necessarily far from nature. But it often happens that a word's usage is broader or narrower than what it ought to mean.

Larryk1052 wrote:Personally, I think these two terms mean basically the same think. Nudist/naturist is a person who enjoys being nude. Sometimes that enjoyment takes place in nature, sometimes in the privacy of one’s home, and some times with others. I think naturist is just an updated term for nudist.

Two Larrys thinking alike. I use them both interchangeably. Although, the term naturist gets confused with naturalist when people are not familiar with the meaning. I guess I refer to myself mostly as a naturist because it doesn't seem as harsh as nudist, and because my preference is to be outdoors among nature when it's warm enough.

I to use the words interchangably,However when typing will generally use nudist because is less to type.Another thought is society often looks at 'nudists' as crazys, where word naturist may not have that automatic judgement.

This discussion has been going on for years. My opinion is this:Call yourself what what.What difference does it make?Actions speak louder than words or labels.I have called myself both.I just like to be naked.

Thanks for sharing your opinions. The people here, in my country, I was talking with about nudism/ naturism, think that naturism is an organization. The program, meetings and so on... I heard about such an organizations in Europe. But in my country we have no that... And another one aspect. When people think about naturism as like about organization, some of them imagine naturism like religion. Honestly I don't want joint any organization because I'm already a member of one organization. It's my Church. That why I have no close contacts with another naturists/nudists here. Just on the beach in the summer. If someone offers to "call yourself what what", I would call myself just a Christian, who like to be naked and love to communicate with people, who love the same.

In my (not so) humble opinion, "naturist" could be more closely defined as a "Nudist With a Cause".

A "nudist" is someone who merely likes to be nude.

A "naturist" is someone who likes to be nude because it is "natural". In other words, "clothing doesn't grow on trees". Someone has to take raw materials or synthetic materials and fashion them together to create clothing. That process is completely "unnatural" and actually causes substantial damage to the environment.

Further, as a "born-again believer in Christ" for whom "all things are made NEW" and who believes that it was Satan who told our fore-parents that they were "naked" and so should be ashamed, I STRONGLY believe that God created us, not ONLY in His own "Image and Likeness", but, like the rest of His created order, without the absolute need of coverings. In reality, He created our bodies to interact with natural sunlight, air and water, directly and unimpeded. By constantly covering our bodies, we starve our bodies of essential sunlight that naturally produces the CORRECT amounts of Vitamin-D, which prevents and deters a host of debilitating and deadly diseases and disorders. Further, by constantly covering our bodies, we create the PERFECT breeding ground for all manner of pestilence, mold and fungus, which create an even greater threat to our health. Since I have been made "NEW" in Jesus Christ, I have been restored to the right-relationship with God that Adam and Eve originally had in the Garden. I see no reason to be ashamed of what God has created in me. That is God's work. However, I do feel shame at the sins I have committed against God. Those are my OWN works. However, even those sins are covered by the Blood of Christ, poured out on the Cross for His people.

For this reason, I consider myself not only as a "naturist", but particularly as a "Christian-Naturist"... a "nudist" with a "Double Cause".

SON-cerely, Nathan PowersGet exposed to the sun, and get exposed to the Son.

With that definition, we would disagree that I am a nudist, as I say I am. Most people in our country who call themselves one of those could just as well be called the other. It does amount to mostly the same. One of the two words is definitely more euphemistic.

If someone thinks that two words mean the same, that's great. But during the discussion on the our local nudists forum one person have said that he is a nudist many years and knows hundreds other nudists, but NEVER met a NATURIST. Probably in America this two words meen the same, but here we consider the naturism as a philosophical doctrine... Many thanks for a deep reflection about Christianity and naturism. If I consider myself as a Christian a have to see all the things in the light of the truth. So I want to see in my hobby to be naked something more special than merely a light sexual game. I want to approve on a solid foundation my naked being near computer, or naked communication on the beach. I need to have some philosophical substantiation when I undress or look at naked people because my mind sometimes is attacked by bad thoughts and I feel ashamed if I accept this thoughts. That why I prefare to strive to fulfill my mind with high philosophical thoughts and to flee away from the lust I feel sometimes.

My take on this is somewhat pragmatic. In English 'nudist' has a harder, more aggressive sound, thanks to the plosive 'd' in the middle & the hard, cut off 't' at the end. 'Naturist' on the other is a softer sounding word; at least it is in my part of the world. I tend to use 'naturist' when discussing non-sexual social nudity with the unconvinced or curious. You can get away with 'nude' as the final 'e' at softens the sound.

How do I refer to myself? I normally use my name as the joys of nudity are only a part of who I am. I'm now wondering if that all makes me sound more devious than I really am?